Title: Getting In: Preparing for Grad School
1Getting In Preparing for Grad School
- Career Development Center Presentation
- Kerri Quick Kaplan Test Prep
2Session Agenda
- Who Are We and What Are Our Services
- The Future
3The Career Development Center
- Individual appointments with Career Counselors
- Resumes
- Applications
- Cover Letters
- Interview Preparation
- Internships
- Graduate School
- Targeting Your Dream Job
- Monday Friday
- 800 430
- Drop in Hours no appointment necessary
- W-TH, 100-300
- Tuesday Evenings open until 630
- We are here to help Top Floor University Center
- 570-422-3219
4RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW! Attend 5 sessions and
youre entered for a chance to WIN a Brooks
Brothers gift certificate!
5RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW! Attend 5 sessions and
youre entered for a chance to WIN a Brooks
Brothers gift certificate!
6RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW! Attend 5 sessions and
youre entered for a chance to WIN a Brooks
Brothers gift certificate!
7November 8th
Seniors Only
EVOLVE College to Careers
In order to help graduating seniors prepare for
the next step, the Career Development Center
invites all graduating seniors for a program
designed to help them make the most of their
spring term and prepare for life after college.
Seniors will be informed of best practices on how
to increase their chances of success during an
interview, money management and transitioning to
a new community. Become informed of what soon to
expect in life after graduation.
8TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2014 100 p.m. 400 p.m.
9The Future
- There will be 55 million job openings through
2020 - 24 million new jobs
- 31 million due to baby boom retirements
- 35 of job openings will require a bachelors
degree - Fastest growing industries - STEM, Healthcare
Professions, Healthcare Support and Community
Services - Will require high levels of post-secondary
education - The U.S. will fall short by 5 million workers
with postsecondary educations by 2020 at the
current production rate
10(No Transcript)
11NACE Salary Outlook 2014/Bureau of Labor
Statistics Occupational Outlook
12Reasons to Go..
- Intellectual interest
- Money
- Vocational interest
13Free Money..
- Teaching Assistantships
- Research/Graduate Assistantships
- Fellowships
- Grants
- LOANS
14Application Checklist
- Take appropriate standardized graduate admissions
tests - Forwards scores to schools of interest
- Obtain letters of recommendations
- Obtain original transcripts
- Draft, rewrite, polish statement of purpose
- Send materials to schools
15Additional Requirements/Items
- Writing Sample
- Clinical Hours
- International Applicants
- Interviews
16GPA
- Long-term indicator of your performance as a
student - Reflects motivation ability to do good or bad
work - Masters program requires a GPA of 3.0 or 3.3
- Doctoral programs require minimum GPAs 3.3 or
3.5 - Admission committees look at courses taken
- Look at overall GPA and the relevant program
courses - Standardized exams GRE, MCAT, LSAT GMAT for
comparisons
17GRADES
- It is what it is!!
- Obtain transcripts - learn your worst grade,
worst semester, worst class - GPA in Major vs. GPA Overall
18What if I Have a Low GPA?
- Take high quality courses
- Take more classes
- Take summer classes
- Consider delaying graduation with an extra
semester - After graduation take a few graduate courses to
show aptitude
19Statement of Purpose
- The most important document of your Graduate
application - Can be 300, 500 or 750 words
- The Statement of Purpose required by graduate
schools is probably the hardest thing you will
ever write - Through the essay you will speak to the committee
and demonstrate your unique fit to the program - Incidentally, the statement of purpose may also
be called an Application Essay, Objectives for
Graduate Study, Personal Background, Cover
Letter, or some comparable title
20Essay Dos
- Prepare an outline and create a draft
- Answer all the questions being asked
- Make sure your essay has a theme or a thesis
- Provide evidence to support your claims
- Speak in the first person (I)
- Make your introduction unique
- Write clearly and make sure it is easy to read
- Be honest, confident, and be yourself
- Be interesting and positive
- Make sure your essay is organized, coherent, and
concise - Write about yourself and use examples from your
own life experiences
21Essay Dos
- Use a mixture of long and short sentences
- Discuss your future goals
- Mention any hobbies, past jobs, community
service, or research experience - Mention weaknesses without making excuses
- Discuss why you're interested in the school
and/or program - Show, dont tell (Use examples to demonstrate
your abilities - Ask for help
- Proofread and revise your statement at least 3
times - Have others proofread your essay
-
22STATEMENT OF PURPOSE-example- BORING
- Introduction
- First Sentence is the most important. Be
creative. - The following sentences should provide a brief
explanation that supports the claim made in the
first sentence. - I am applying to the Master of Fine Arts program
in creative writing at the University of Utah
because I believe my writing will blossom at your
program since it is a place where I will be
challenged and I can hone my writing skills.
23STATEMENT OF PURPOSE-example- HOOK!
- I am honored to apply for the Master of Library
Science program at the University of Utah because
as long as I can remember I have had a love
affair with books. Since I was eleven I have
known I wanted to be a librarian. - When I was eleven, my great-aunt Gretchen passed
away and left me something that changed my life
a library of about five thousand books. Some of
my best days were spent arranging and reading her
books. Since then, I have wanted to be a
librarian.
24The Body
- Usually 3 paragraphs providing detailed evidence
supporting the intro statement - Each paragraph should have a transition statement
to start a resolution statement to end - Include experiences, accomplishments or other
evidence to support claims - Short summary of educational background is
appropriate in first paragraph - Do not repeat application information
- Last paragraph should explain why you should be
accepted
25The Conclusion
- Last paragraph of your personal statement
- State why you are interested in studying the
subject of interest - State key points mentioned in the body in a
conclusive brief manner (accomplishments,
experiences) - End on a positive note with 1-2 attention
grabbing sentences
26Essays Donts
- Be defensive or arrogant
- Complain
- Preach
- Have your essay focus too much on other
individuals - Discuss politics or religion
- Give excuses for a low GPA
- Make lists of accomplishments, awards, skills, or
personal qualities (Show, dont tell) - Write a term paper or an autobiography
- Summarize your resume
- Include information already cited on the
application
27Essays Donts
- Becoming increasingly popular/preferred
- Replacing objective statement
- Replaces the this is what I want objective
statement with a this is the value that I offer
branding statement Have any grammar or spelling
errors. (Proofread!) - Be wordy or use jargon (dont try to impress the
readers by using big words) - Swear or use slang
- Digress or be repetitive
- Be boring
- Generalize
- Include clichés
- Use gimmicks
- Be comical (a little humor is okay but remember
it can be misconstrued)
28(No Transcript)
29How To Get The Best Letters Of Recommendation
- Build relationships over time
- Be nice!
- Start in SEPTEMEBER
- Have your transcripts/resume ready to familiarize
them with your performance - The reference may take it upon themselves to call
the person directly - KEEP IN TOUCHdont burn your bridges!
30Deadlines
- Apply for acceptance in SEPTEMBER OCTOBER
- DEADLINES fall around DECEMBER, JANUARY AND
FEBRUARY - Be sure to check for open or rolling admissions
31GRE Test Breakdown
Section Number of Questions Allotted Time
Analytical Writing (One section, Two timed tasks) One Analyze an Issue task and One Analyze an Argument task 30 minutes per task
Verbal Reasoning (Two sections) Approximately 20 questions per section 30 minutes per section
Quantitative Reasoning (Two sections) Approximately 20 questions per section 35 minutes per section
Unscored Varies Varies
Research Varies Varies
Total Testing Time About 4 hours Total Testing Time About 4 hours Total Testing Time About 4 hours
There is a 10-minute break following the third
section and a 1-minute break between other
sections.
32The GRE Multi-Stage Test (MST) Adapts at
Section Level
- Verbal Section 2a
- 20 Questions
- 6 Text Completion
- 4 Sentence Equivalence
- 10 Reading Comprehension
Highest potential score range
- Verbal Section 1
- 20 Questions
- 6 Text Completion
- 4 Sentence Equivalence
- 10 Reading Comprehension
- Verbal Section 2b
- 20 Questions
- 6 Text Completion
- 4 Sentence Equivalence
- 10 Reading Comprehension
Middle potential score range
- Verbal Section 2c
- 20 Questions
- 6 Text Completion
- 4 Sentence Equivalence
- 10 Reading Comprehension
Lowest potential score range
33The GRE Multi-Stage Test (MST) Adapts
at Section Level
- Quantitative Section 2a
- 20 Questions
- 7-8 Quantitative Comparison
- 9-10 Problem Solving
- 3 Data Interpretation
Highest potential score range
- Quantitative Section 1
- 20 Questions
- 7-8 Quantitative Comparison
- 9-10 Problem Solving
- 3 Data Interpretation
- Quantitative Section 2b
- 20 Questions
- 7-8 Quantitative Comparison
- 9-10 Problem Solving
- 3 Data Interpretation
Middle potential score range
- Quantitative Section 2c
- 20 Questions
- 7-8 Quantitative Comparison
- 9-10 Problem Solving
- 3 Data Interpretation
Lowest potential score range
34GRE Score Distribution
162-164
130
151 151
162 159 153
164 159 154
35GRE Scoring and Other Details
- Scoring for Verbal and Quantitative Sections
130-170 in one point increments and 150 will be
the mean AWA has a 0-6 scoring scale in
half-point increments - Unofficial Quant and Verbal scores are available
right after you finish the test with a 130-170
score official scores, including writing score
are mailed to you and the schools you select
10-15 days later - Must wait 30 days to retest
- The test is offered every day of the year except
Sundays and major holidays. Register at
www.gre.org - The cost of the test is 185
- Test scores are good for 5 years
36What the GMAT Covers
Integrated Reasoning Questions 12 multi-part
questions Time 30 minutes Question Types
Table Analysis, Graphics Interpretation, Two-part
analysis, Multi-source reasoning
VERBAL
Length 4 hours
37Computer Adaptive Test (CAT) Scoring
38GMAT Scoring Scale
90th
7700
80th
660
60th
590
550
39GMAT Scoring and Other Details
- Total GMAT score ranges from 200 800, AWA has a
0-6 scoring scale in half-point increments - Integrated Reasoning scores range from 1 to 8 in
single-digit intervals. Like the AWA, the IR
scores are computed separately from the
Quantitative and Verbal sections and have no
effect on the Total score. - Unofficial scores will be available immediately,
official scores will be sent in approximately 20
calendar days - Must wait 30 days to retest
- The test is offered every day of the year except
Sundays and major holidays. Register at mba.com - The cost of the test is 250
- Scores are good for 5 years
40LSAT Test Breakdown
41LSAT Scoring Scale
42LSAT Scoring and Other Details
- The LSAT is a paper and pencil test offer 4 times
per year June, September/October, December, and
February - Scored by raw score (number of questions
correct), scaled score (120-180) and percentile
score (you score compared to other test takers) - Can be taken 3 times in 2 years, scores good for
5 years - Cost of test is 160, register at lsac.org
43MCAT 2015 Test Breakdown
44MCAT 2015
Test Cost Offered Retaking Validity Avg Prep
Time Application Deadlines Where to register
275 Approx. 28 times/year in Jan, Mar Sep No
lifetime limit can only take 3x/year 3
years 300 hours Accepted on a rolling basis
starting in June www.aamc.org
45MCAT Scoring and Other Details
- Registration opens up in February 2015 with a
registration cost of 300. AÂ 150 Amazon gift
card will be given to April 2015 examinees. Test
dates run April through September of 2015. - Each of the four sections on MCAT 2015 will be
scored 118-132, for a total possible score of
528. Â The mean is expected to be 125 per section
for a total mean score of 500.
46Take a Free Practice Test
- Experience the exam under proctored conditions
- Receive a detailed score analysis
- Learn strategies to prepare
- Choose your date and register http//bit.ly/EastS
troudsburg
47Thank You Kerri Quick Market Manager Kaplan Test
Prep 570-225-8648 kerri.quick_at_kaplan.com www.kapte
st.com